Drop Down Menu

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

A few months ago, Dave Ramsey had a deal on tickets for his Total Money Makeover Live! show in Long Beach, CA. I scored two tickets for $14.50 each during one of Dave's one-day sales. So yesterday M and I woke up bright and early to make the two hour trip to the Long Beach Convention Center despite gas prices approaching the $5 mark. The event began at 1pm but doors opened at 11:30. We parked the car at 11am and took our place in the already forming long line to get in. When the doors opened we were able to find great floor seats right behind the VIP section (typically priced at $69 each).

Although the official event started at 1pm, the emcee Joe Leavitt (one of Dave's team members) came out on stage around noon and promptly began warming up the crowd by giving out $300 to one person and $500 to another. Nothing like seeing hundred dollar bills being passed out to get you motivated!! Next Rachel Cruze (Dave Ramsey's daughter) came out and talked to the crowd about growing up in the Ramsey household. My favorite story was when she ended up bouncing three checks and was told by Dave to apologize to the head of the bank for what she had done. For some reason, hearing that Dave's kid had been less than perfect with their finances made me feel a little better.

After Rachel wrapped up her story, Jon Acuff of Quitterfame entertained the crowd with his story of eight jobs in eight years and his never ending search for work he could be passionate about. He talked about how this is the "I'm, But" generation - where most people say "I'm a teacher, but I really want to be a ____". Everything he said really hit close to him and seemed to resonate with many in the audience.

Then at exactly 1pm Dave Ramsey came out on stage. And with the exception of two twenty-minute breaks, went through the Baby Steps and his Total Money Makeover philosophy for the next five hours.

The Positives.Dave is an exceptionally dynamic speaker. Dave is simply an excellent speaker - passionate, intelligent and entertaining. His presentation includes a giant screen so everyone can see him up close, and also a slideshow presentation for all to see. In addition, you are given a workbook with fill-in-the-blanks to complete as he talks. If you are seeking motivation, this is the place to find it.

High energy message. If you want an intense introduction to the Baby Steps and haven't taken Financial Peace University, this is the place for you. Be prepared for a six-hour immersion into Dave's world of finance. Dave's upbeat message would be difficult not to take home with you.

The audience. I found that speaking to the people around me about their financial stories was almost as motivating as listening to Dave speak. People from all walks of life were there to better their lives. A couple in line with me talked about beginning Dave's program and buying tickets to the event, but then ending up with the guy being laid off soon after. But they were still upbeat and hoping for a better financial future. The couple sitting behind me had been working the baby steps and were now focused on paying off their house in the next five years. It was motivating to be surrounded by people with similar goals and know that you're not alone in your successes and failures.

The Negatives.Sponsors Constantly Pushing Their Wares. If Dave wasn't talking about the Baby Steps, then somebody else was trying to get you to buy a book, open a checking account, or put all your gold into a plastic bag and send it away for some cash. Standing in line, walking around at the breaks, or just sitting in your chair you will be constantly bombarded by some type of sponsor deal. Although some of the items being promoted may help some of the attendees, it just seemed so excessive that many people (including myself) end up feeling irritated rather than motivated.

Session Length. This is a looonnnnggg day so be prepared. I found it a little difficult to focus the last two hours and I could tell the rest of the audience was also a little restless. Needless to say, you will get your money's worth, especially if you can score some of Dave's lower-priced tickets.

Overall Score: B+
Despite the infomercial style and 6-hour long session, I think it was time well spent. Dave lays out a clear and attainable path to debt freedom that has worked for many people. He also may create the spark in you and your family to help you get started on improving your finances.

Dave's next Total Money Makeover Live! events will be held in Denver on October 25th and Seattle on November 7th.

Have you attended a live Dave Ramsey event? What did you think? Would you recommend it to anyone?

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Today I'm reposting one of my favorites in memory of my best buddy who I still think about and miss every day. He got me through many tough times in my life and I hope he has been rewarded in his next life with endless treats and love.

Duke 9/18/01 - 4/22/12

As many of you know, Duke has been my furry best friend for almost eleven years. He has spent countless hours traveling the country as I roamed from state to state. He greets me at the front door every single day as if he hasn't seen me in months. He barks at the mailman every single day. He eats his dinner in 60 seconds flat every single day. He is definitely a creature of habit who has nothing but love and protection to share with me and the rest of the world. Sometimes this dog is the only thing that can get me through a rough day - especially these past six months. Animals can provide significant insight about living life if you just take the time to listen to them. I have been in an almost constant state of reflection about my life since my Dad passed in August. Here are a few things Duke has helped me learn:

Express your love every time you leave and every time you come home. Every time I leave, I tell Duke to be a good boy and guard the house. In return, he greets me with a wagging tail and a goofy smile as soon as the door is open more than three inches. Someone once told me I needed to ignore him when I walked in the door so he would stop his "nonsense" every time we came home. I feel for this person who can't recognize this tremendous and consistent act of love and devotion. We should all aspire to be like Duke when it comes to important people in your life. You never know if someone will actually walk back through that door at the end of the day so use every opportunity to remind that person how much you love and appreciate them.

Sometimes you just need to stop and take it all in. A few months ago, Duke started to lay down in a particularly sunny area of our neighborhood during our walks. Considering his stubborn attitude and 115 pound stature, there is not much I can do when he goes down. At first, I would just stand there slightly annoyed waiting for the opportunity to coax him home with promises of treats. But one day I decided to just sit down next to him and see what the big deal was. I noticed that Duke didn't particularly want to do anything except watch what was going on - cars driving by, people taking walks, breezes slightly rattling the tree leaves. I began to realize that this is not something I tend to do. Often I am so wrapped up in my thoughts that I don't even notice the beauty surrounding me. Me, me, me is all I can think about. Forty five minutes later I stood up and Duke immediately followed. I felt a sense of calm and clarity just from sitting in the grass with my dog - nothing to accomplish or learn from it, just a need to fully be there at that moment. Duke and I now make this a regular occurrence providing both of us time to just take it all in and be in the moment with each other.

If you want something, ask! I often wake up to Duke shaking his collar and grunting in the morning because he is ready to go on a walk. During the day, he walks right up to me and puts his head in my lap if he wants to be pet. Although he can't speak to me, his actions and needs are surprisingly more clear to me than most human beings I know. Don't beat around the bush - if something is important to you then let people know. Don't just assume they will figure it out.

Get plenty of sleep and exercise. Duke is a champion sleeper (he's laying next to my desk chair as I write) and in his younger days I had to set him loose in the dog park for a few hours to exhaust him. At least three walks a day combined with good sleeping habits (as all dogs have) has helped him stay active even though he is approaching eleven years old. Don't underestimate the importance of sleep - studies show that making up the lack of sleep during the week by sleeping late on the weekends is impossible. You never get that missed sleep back. And stay active if you want to continue to be mobile into your golden years.

If you show affection to others, you will be rewarded with the same. The only people Duke barks at are anyone who comes to our front door. If he meets that same person out on the street (including the mailman), he acts like he just found his long lost owner. There are many people in our neighborhood who can't get enough of him. As a result, Duke has many people walking around with treats in their pockets at all times just in case they see him. Smart dog. His ridiculous affection is always rewarded with attention, love or food - the three most important things in his life. Set a goal tomorrow of zero negativity and focus on the goal of helping others. Pay it forward is a simple rule that can make all the difference in your life. You may even be rewarded for it even if that is not your intention.

Focus on the present rather than worrying about what was or shall be. The only time I see a hint of worry in Duke's face is when I drag out the suitcase. Other than that, he seems to take every moment as it comes and does what feels right at the time. Because we have more developed thought patterns (at least most of us), people tend to get stuck in their head playing certain thoughts over and over like a broken record. What if.....? I should have done..... What do you accomplish by worrying about something that might happen? Pretty much a waste of energy. Instead, acknowledge your worry, allow yourself to really feel the emotion resulting from your thoughts, and then just let it go. There is nothing you can do about it right now. By sitting and worrying about something for a week you have not only wasted energy but also a week of time that you can never get back. Even if the worst does end up happening, are you a better person because you sat and worried about it? Most likely not. Try to quiet those thoughts and just get a sense of what is going on right now in this very moment. Staring at your dog might help.

Friday, September 28, 2012

I will admit that last week was not a stellar week for me. Sunday I set my alarm to wake up early and ended up sleeping through it. So I missed an event that was very important to me. Later on in the afternoon I had to deal with some "crazy family" issues and that got me really down. And on Monday I started a brand new, and particularly stressful, long-term project at work. So along came Tuesday night - my favorite night of the week because I have my pottery class. My opportunity to get my hands dirty and be creative - a necessity for someone whose day is mostly spent in front of a computer doing some type of non-creative accounting activity.

I walked into class that night, grabbed some clay, wedged it and then headed for the wheel. As I began to try to center the clay I realized I couldn't do it for some reason. Feeling frustrated, I called over the teacher and asked for help. Once the clay was centered, I opened up a hole in the middle and tried to coax the clay to become taller to make my soon-to-be mug. But for some reason my technique was completely off that day and I couldn't figure out why. Try as I might, I couldn't get the clay to do what I wanted that night and ended up completely exasperated and leaving class an hour early.

As I drove home that night, I wondered why I had so much difficulty that night. I typically really enjoy these classes regardless of the quality of my clay outputs. It suddenly hit me. I think I walked into class still carrying the negativity from the past few days and it subconsciously reared its ugly head. Imperfections seemed much more significant and less tolerable that day. It also affected my pottery technique just enough so that I wasn't able to produce my typical results. It's as if the negativity was spewing out of my hands and into the mug itself.

Often negative thoughts can affect your daily life without you even realizing it. Your actions, like the clay I was using, are controlled by you. But when you are channeling negativity into these actions, you will not get the results you expect. And no matter how hard you struggle you may never get where you want to be.

Negativity can especially derail your long-term personal finance goals. It may not be as obvious to you as ending up with a crummy looking mug, but there may be signs to watch out for to prevent sabotaging your financial progress. Do you have a sudden urge to buy, buy, buy? Have you convinced yourself that you have earned a vacation or fancy dinner out? It may be something completely unrelated to money that is affecting your mood and creating the potential for a financial setback. To prevent a money pitfall, consider these tips.

1. Get to know your mood better. Rather than pushing your thoughts to the far reaches of your mind, sit with them for a minute so you can at least have an idea of how you're feeling that day. Once I figured out I was still suffering from happenings earlier in the week, I felt an immediate relief and the negative cloud began to lift.2. Get to the bottom of the negativity. Before you go out and spend your way to a happier day, try to figure out the cause of your negative thoughts. Fight with your mom last weekend? Guy almost ran into you on the freeway this morning? Stressful day at work?3. Do something about it! Knowing your negative mood may be sabotaging your goals is just half the battle. Use that awareness to change your course and make positive changes. Rather than perusing the web for a new thing, google around and learn about CD ladders or mutual funds.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Do you have that list of things you would like to do that you think would be a direct benefit personally? Been meaning to attend a spin class? Has Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover been sitting unopened on your nightstand for months? Or maybe you just want 30 minutes to sit and meditate?

Most of us are filled with ideas and tasks that we would like to accomplish because we would improve and grow personally. But these same ideas and tasks are generally the first thing to go because of a hectic schedule or just plain life in general. People, especially women, tend to sacrifice certain "wants" in order to make sure the wants and needs of others are fulfilled. Why are we so willing to move these personal benefit items to the bottom of the priority list when ultimately they may lead to a better quality of life in the long run?

1. Selfish and frivolous. Putting our own needs first is often construed as selfish. Society has conditioned us to think that it is a negative thing to try to take care of ourselves every once in a while.2. No immediate benefit seen. When you've got work to do, dinner to make and kids to drop off at practice, squeezing in 30 minutes of exercise not only seems impossible but also doesn't appear to result in an immediate benefit for anybody.

Enter the Take Ten Technique. At the end of each workday, after you have completed your work but before you head to the car, take ten minutes to make a plan of attack for tomorrow for all those "want to do" items that you would get some personal benefit from. Include personal, professional and even financial goals. I picked the end of your workday to complete this task because it is the time when you are least likely to be interrupted (people just want to leave), and you can apply your full attention since you have wrapped up your work day. And don't wait until morning to Take Ten because you may feel too rushed to truly devote yourself to the Take Ten thought process.

How is this different than a to-do list? The purpose goes beyond just listing out items you need to complete. Ten Minute Technique is a way to get you to be thoughtful about what exactly it is you would like to accomplish during your days. It also changes your thought pattern so that you start thinking of these items as something that shouldn't be sent to the bottom of the priority list.

1. Make a list of your personal benefit items. Quickly jot down some personal benefit ideas that have been swimming around in your head. Take a class at the gym? What about having a no-spend day? 2. Carve out small time slots. While there may not be a large block of free time available, you might be able to find 10-15 minute increments where you may be able to work in some personal benefit items. Doctor or DMV appointment coming up? Make sure you download that investing book you've been wanting to read for the past year so you can read while you wait.3. Pare down your list. Take Ten isn't about tackling your grocery list or reminding yourself to go to the dry cleaners. It's about being purposeful when planning your day and making sure to include personal benefit tasks in each day. Review your list and make sure you are only including items that you think will benefit you in the long run.4. Don't overdo it. If you decide that tomorrow you are going to exercise for two hours, write all the than-you letters you never wrote and start that quilt you've been meaning to work on, then you may be setting yourself up for failure. Be okay with adding in one personal benefit item to your next day's schedule - even if it's only for fifteen minutes.

Take Ten forces you to be thoughtful, get it down on paper and make these personal benefits a priority - all behaviors that have proven to help people more successfully accomplish their goals. So why don't you try to Take Ten today?

Stay tuned,

What techniques do you use to ensure that you are fitting in beneficial activities into your schedule - financial or otherwise?